With Real Scars He Prayed Real Prayers

8.2.2010

2 Chronicles 33:13 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. ESV

Manasseh is a bit of an enigma to me – first he leads his nation astray and then he leads them back to God. First he establishes false religion, then he repents and reinstates true religion. All it took was getting the crap kicked out of him by the king of Assyria and a trip to Babylon. With real scars he prayed real prayers.

Sometimes our choices look so good but in reality they’re so bad. Sometimes we think our ship has come in only to find it’s run aground. Sometimes our own arrogance and pride pave the road to colossal humiliation. Sometimes our colossal humiliation causes us to pray and repent – Wow! What a concept!

I want to hate Manasseh for what he initially did to the nation after the reign of his father Hezekiah. But I love the fact that in his humiliation he didn’t harden, he softened to the things of the Lord. He learned his lesson after all…

A fool is someone who refuses to learn the lesson. The only mistakes I make are when I determine not to learn from my mistakes. My ego and pride can be a curse but they can be a blessing when wounded and scarred they cause me to return again to God. Pain often does one of two things: harden or help.

Father in Heaven,

You loved Manasseh and so You caused him to suffer for his own choices. I know that You love me and I know that You will cause me to see the error of my ways and help me to see the rescue in Yours. Father, I need Your help and I pray that You not stay Your hand in helping me to get it. I offer up my mistakes and with the scars left from the hooks in my flesh, I pray for Your deliverance and for Your correction – in Jesus’ Name, amen.